Transcript
Melanie Elliott (ME): Hello Hoyas! And welcome back to “Mondays with Melanie.” Through this series, I will be bringing on the authors of each week’s top stories to discuss their articles and provide a brief synopsis of their topics. This past week, that of April 1 to 7, has been busy as students return from Easter Break and begin the road to finals. On this episode, we have another wide array of topics, this time ranging from the Environmental Film Festival to the Autumn Leaves premiere to Georgetown baseball.
ME: We begin with Science Writer Megan McVeigh as she discusses her article covering Georgetown’s screening of “Impossible Town” as part of the D.C. Environmental Film Festival.
Megan McVeigh (MM): Hi, my name is Megan McVeigh. I’m a sophomore, and I’m a staff writer for the science section of the Hoya. On March 25, the D.C. Environmental Film Festival made its way to campus as Georgetown’s Film and Media Studies Program and the Earth Commons jointly presented a screening of the 2023 documentary Impossible Town. The film follows Dr. Ayne Amjad as she attempts to find evidence that the abnormally high cancer rate in the rural town of Minden, W.Va., as the result of the buildup of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs from corporate pollution. Ultimately, testing revealed only trace amounts of PCBs in Minden and the Environmental Protection Agency refused to compensate affected families or relocate residents to a new chemical-free area. The film notes this does not rule out the possibility of past contamination in Minden and residents will continue fighting for those who wish to relocate. Following the screening Earth Commons co-director Randall Amster hosted a conversation between Dr. Amjad, the filmmaker Scott Faris and Meg Griffiths and consulting producer Alia Mansoori. The group reflected on their experiences making the film and sharing their work with larger audiences. Faris shared that he hopes the film generates conversations about justice in Minden, and Dr. Amjad stated that she hopes that her story serves as an inspiration for the younger generation and their role in pursuing environmental justice.
ME: Thanks Megan! Now, News Writer Marisa Bist details her piece about No Pressure Creatives’ “Autumn Leaves” production.
Marisa Bist (MB): (No) Pressure Creatives, Georgetown University’s original Asian American musical production group, put on their second production, “Autumn Leaves”, in Gaston Hall on April 4 and 5. The musical tells the story of a couple that immigrates from New Delhi, India to Seattle, Wash. to start a jazz bar. After the couple’s passing, their two children grapple with how to continue their parents’ legacy. (No) Pressure Creatives is a group on campus aimed at creating community for Asian Americans interested in the performing arts. Not only does the group allow Asian students to pursue these creative interests apart from their academics, it serves as a great source of friendship among students with similar backgrounds and interests. Sherry Wu, the director of “Autumn Leave”s and co-writer of the musical script, said that the creative team behind the musical, whose story focuses on the tension between immigrant parents and their children, inserted a lot of their own experiences with their parents into the musical. In this way, “Autumn Leaves” and future productions of (No) Pressure Creatives serve as important means of portraying the Asian American experience to a wider audience through musical theater.
ME: Thank you for that Marisa! Finally, Sports Editor Oliver Ni brings us his rundown on Georgetown baseball.
Oliver Ni (ON): Hi everyone, my name is Oliver Ni, and I am one of the senior sports editors for The Hoya. Something special is brewing in Capital One Park in Tysons, Va., where the Georgetown University baseball team calls home. Since March 1, the Hoyas have gone 18-4 to move their season record to 21-9, well on their way to shattering the program record of 32 wins and fighting neck-in-neck with St. John’s for the top position in the conference. Particularly of note are senior first baseman Christian Ficca, who is third in the Big East out of all qualified hitters in OPS at 1.141 and third in home runs at 7, and senior left-handed pitcher Everett Catlett, whose 3.20 ERA and 45 strikeouts rank third and second in the Big East out of all qualified pitchers, respectively. Other standout performers include graduate center fielder Kavi Caster, senior right fielder Jake Hyde, junior catcher Owen Carapellotti and first-year left-handed pitcher Marcello Mastroianni. With 22 games left in the regular season, Georgetown is positioning itself for a memorable season and, hopefully, a deep postseason run.
ME: Thanks so much, Oliver!
ME: That concludes another hectic week here at the Hilltop. Thanks so much for tuning in! I’m Melanie Elliott, and this has been “Mondays with Melanie.” Be sure to check back in next week for another round of top stories. And until then, have a great week!
ME: This podcast was edited by me and produced by Emily Han and Sofia Nathoo.
